Happy Birthday Moms Mabley

Happy belated birthday to the original queen of comedy, who from the 1920s - 1970s broke all of the barriers about race, gender, and sexuality.

BY Jami Smith

March 20 2014 12:17 PM ET

It seems fitting that Moms Mabley's birthday (March 19) would fall during what would later become Women's History Month because she was the very first woman to make a living as a comedian. And she didn't do it by playing safe.

Disguised as a "frumpy grandma" in a house coat and floppy hat, Mabley was able to get away with taboo topics like racism and sexuality that other comedians of the time wouldn't dare touch. Mabley was also a lesbian and would often wear men's suits as a sharp contrast to her onstage persona.